Sweet cherry tree named &#39;IFG Cher-four&#39;

ABSTRACT

This invention is a new and distinct sweet cherry tree variety denominated ‘IFG Cher-four’. The new sweet cherry is characterized by producing medium size blushed fruits having flat-round shape. Fruits ripen early about thirteen to seventeen days ahead of the ‘Rainier’ variety. The ‘IFG Cher-four’ has medium firm, medium acid fruit with a good cherry flavor. Fruits are tolerant of rain induced cracking. The tree has a low chilling requirement, about 300 to 400 chill hours.

Latin name of the genus and species claimed: Prunus avium.

Variety denomination: ‘IFG Cher-four’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new and distinct sweet cherry tree described and claimed herein originated from open pollinated seeds of fruits of an early ripening unidentified variety located in Bakersfield, Kern County, Calif. collected in May 2001. The seeds were stratified, germinated and the resulting 540 seedlings were planted in a field near Delano, Kern County, Calif. in April 2002. The present variety of sweet cherry tree was selected as a single plant in May 2005 and was first asexually propagated in January 2006 by grafting onto Prunus mahalab rootstock. These propagules were found to reproduce true-to-type by asexual propagation. All propagation was done near Delano, Kern County Calif.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Sweet cherries have traditionally been grown in climates with long cold winters and cool to moderately warm summers. Such climates provide enough cold winter temperatures to allow normal growth to resume in the spring and summer temperatures that are low enough not to induce production of unmarketable double or spurred fruit, but it limits the seasonality that cherries are available. The sweet cherry breeding program focuses on developing types of cherries that will grow in regions with low winter chilling and high summer temperatures so that the fruit will ripen before fruit in traditional growing regions.

The new sweet cherry tree ‘IFG Cher-four’ is characterized by producing medium size blushed fruits having flat-round shape. The ‘IFG Cher-four’ has medium firm, medium acid fruit with a good cherry flavor ripening in early season. Fruits are tolerant of rain induced cracking. The tree has a low chilling requirement; about 300 to 400 chill hours, which is lower than the ‘Brooks’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,676); about 400 to 500 chill hours, and ‘Rainier’ (non-patented); about 700 chill hours, varieties. It produces fewer doubled and spurred fruits as compared to the ‘Brooks’ and ‘Rainier’ varieties in high summer temperature regions such as the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California. Fruits of ‘IFG Cher-four’ have medium long, medium thick stems that remain attached and stay green during storage and shipping.

In comparison to the ‘Rainier’ variety, which is the major blush variety grown in the U.S.A., the present variety ripens about fourteen to eighteen days earlier. The tree growth is less vigorous than ‘Rainier’ and the leaves are more upwardly curled with slightly wavier margins. In comparison to its female parent, the present variety has fruits that have yellow flesh and yellow skin covered with a bright red blush over 50 to 80 percent of its surface as opposed to red flesh and skin color of the female parent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying photographic drawing in FIG. 1 illustrates in full color ‘IFG Cher-four’. The photograph was taken outdoors with indirect lighting. The colors are as nearly true as is reasonably possible in a color representation of this type. An actively growing shoot tip collected at harvest can be seen in the upper portion of the drawing. Typical nature fruit and fruit in cross-section are displayed on the lower half of the drawing. Typical cleaned and dried fruit pits are displayed on the lower half of the drawing.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small letter signify that the name of that color, as used in common speech, is aptly descriptive. Color names beginning with a capital letter designate values based upon R.H.S. Colour Chart, published in 2001 by The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England.

Throughout this specification subjective description values conform to those set forth by the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) ‘Cherry Descriptor List’ (Prunus spp.) (1985) which was developed with full support from the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) Programme Committee for Plant Disease Resistance Breeding and the Use of Genebanks.

The descriptive matter which follows pertains to an ‘IFG Cher-four’ plant growing in the vicinity of Delano, Kern County, Calif. during 2013 and 2014, and is believed to apply to plants of the variety grown under similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere:

-   Tree:     -   -   General.—Age — 8 yrs. old Height — 2.7 M when pruned Width —             3.3 M when pruned Vigor — Medium to low Density of foliage —             Dense Form — Spreading Root stock — Rootstock Resistance to             — Insects: Average typical of Prunus avium species.             Diseases: Average typical of Prunus avium species. Chilling             requirements — Low Graft compatibility — Good: produces             compatible graft unions with Prunus avium, ‘Mazzard’             seedlings (non-patented) and Prunus mahaleb seedlings             (non-patented).         -   Trunk.—Trunk diameter of 8-year old trees, 30 cm above the             soil line — 24.3 cm Lenticel size — Small Lenticel             dimensions — Length: About 0.5 cm. Width: About 0.3 cm             Lenticel shape — Elliptical shape oriented horizontally             Lenticel color — The following colors were observed:             Greyed-green:198D and Grey-brown: 199C Trunk surface texture             — Smooth to slightly rough Outer bark color — Greyed-orange:             175A. -   Branches:     -   -   1-year old wood.—Vertical top growth length — Long: About             153 cm Horizontal Growth Length — Medium long: About 73.5 cm             Diameter — Vertical growth: 1.6 cm. Horizontal growth: 0.9             cm Internode length — About 4.4 cm Number of lenticels — Few             Lenticel size — Small Lenticel dimensions — Length: About             0.1 cm. Width: About 0.1 cm Lenticel shape — Round Bark             color — The following colors were observed: Grey-brown: 199A             and Greyed-orange: 172A.         -   2-year old wood.—Length — Medium: About 29.5 cm Diameter —             About 1.1 cm Internode length — About 3.9 cm Number of             lenticels — Few Lenticel dimensions — Length; About 0.2 cm.             Width; About 0.1 cm Lenticel shape — Elliptical shape             oriented horizontally Bark color — The following colors were             observed: Greyed-orange: 177A and Greyed-green: 197A. -   Buds:     -   -   Vegetative buds.—Shape — Oval Vegetative bud dimensions —             Length: About 1.8 cm. Width: About 0.3 cm Vegetative bud             burst — Feb. 10, 2014.         -   Flower buds.—Flower bud dimensions — Length: About 1.1 cm.             Width: About 0.3 cm Shape — Oval Placement — Mostly at bud             positions 1 to 8 on 1-year wood Average number of flower             buds on first year wood — 6 Number of flower buds per spur             on second year wood — 2 to 4. Average: About 3 Color —             Greyed-orange: 177A Flower bud burst — Feb. 14, 2014. -   Leaves:     -   -   Mature leaves.—Leaf dimensions — Length: About 15 cm. Width:             About 6.4 cm Leaf shape — Elongated ovate: Asymmetric on             both sides of central axis Shape of tip — Acuminate: broadly             Shape of base — Rounded Margin — Serrated: regular Surface             texture — Smooth Leaf profile — Involute.         -   Upper surface.—Upper surface pubescence — None Upper leaf             surface color — Green: 137A.         -   Lower surface.—Lower surface pubescence — Sparse to medium             Lower leaf surface color — Yellow-green: 146B.         -   Petiole.—Petiole dimensions — Length: About 3.1 cm. Width:             About 0.2 cm Upper surface of petiole color — The following             colors were observed: Greyed-red: 178A and Greyed-orange:             174A Lower surface of petiole color — Yellow-green: 145C             Petiole groove — Medium Petiole pubescence — Medium: only on             upper surface Venation — Arcuate Vein color — Yellow-green:             145C.         -   Glands.—Number of glands — 1 to 4 Gland dimensions — Length:             About 0.23 cm. Width; About 0.16 cm Gland shape — Mixed             globose and reniform Gland location — On petiole Gland color             — The following colors were observed: Greyed-purple: 187B             and Greyed-red: 180A Leaf stipule — Not present. -   Flowers:     -   -   Blooming period.—Very early.         -   Blooming dates.—First Bloom: Feb. 20, 2014. Full Bloom: Mar.             2, 2014.         -   Number of flowers per cluster.—2 to 3. Average: About 3.         -   Corolla.—Composed of unfused petals, somewhat overlapping.         -   Corolla diameter.—About 3.6 cm.         -   Petal number.—5.         -   Petal length.—About 1.5 cm.         -   Petal width.—About 1.3 cm.         -   Margin waviness.—Weak.         -   Division of upper margin.—Notched.         -   Color of petal upper surface.—The following colors were             observed: White: 155B and D.         -   Color of petal lower surface.—The following colors were             observed: White: 155C and D.         -   Peduncle.—Length: About 3.8 cm. Width: About 0.2 cm.         -   Peduncle color.—The following colors were observed:             Yellow-green: 144A and B.         -   Number of sepals.—5.         -   Sepal length.—About 0.7 cm.         -   Sepal width.—About 0.4 cm.         -   Sepal shape.—Triangular.         -   Sepal color.—Upper surface: The following colors were             observed: Green: 143A and B and Yellow-green: 144A and B.             Lower surface: Purple: N79.         -   Filament.—Length: About 0.5 to 1.4 cm. Width: About 0.2 mm.         -   Filament color.—White: N155B.         -   Anther color.—Yellow-orange: 22A.         -   Pollen color.—Yellow-orange: 17D.         -   Pollen production.—Medium.         -   Self-compatibility of flowers.—Self-incompatible.         -   Flower compatibility group.—S1S6. -   Fruit:     -   -   General.—Ripening period — Early: Approximately: Apr. 26,             2014 Use — Fresh market Keeping quality — Average %             Titratable acidity — About 0.82% Refractometer test —             Soluble solids: Brix — About 18.2 Firmtech II (g/mm) — About             365 Flavor — good, medium acidity Juice color —             Yellow-orange: 22A Juice amount — Intermediate Eating             quality — Good.         -   Stem.—Stem — Length: About 3.8 cm. Width: About 0.2 cm Stem             color — The following colors were observed: Yellow-green:             144A and B Stem cavity — Medium Stem retention during             storage — Very good Stem storage quality — Good.         -   Berry.—Uniformity of size — Uniform Shape — Flat-round Fruit             Weight — About 10.5 gm Apical diameter — About 2.5 cm             Diameter transversely across suture — About 2.1 cm Diameter             at right angle to suture plane — About 2.6 cm Suture — None             Percent of excessively deep or split sutures — About 0%             Doubles — About 0%.         -   Skin.—Thickness — Medium Texture — Smooth, tender Skin color             — The following colors were observed: Yellow-orange: 15D and             Red: 45A Tendency to tip crack — Not susceptible Tendency to             stem cavity crack — Not susceptible Tendency to suture crack             — Not susceptible.         -   Flesh.—Texture — Intermediate Color — The following colors             were observed: Red: 46A and B and C and Yellow: 11A and B.         -   Stone.—Shape — Oblong Length — About 1.3 cm Width             transversely across suture — About 1.0 cm Width at right             angle to suture plane — About 0.7 cm Type — Clingstone             Surface texture — Slightly rough Stone Color when dry —             Orange-white: 158A Tendency to split — None Base — Rounded             Apex — Rounded Ventral edge — Prominent suture protruding             somewhat beyond the horizontal plane of the base of the             stone, subtended by two ridges extending from base to apex             Dorsal edge — Narrow ridge from base to apex. 

What is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct variety of sweet cherry tree as herein illustrated and described. 